WaDave, in speaking of Nickās unfortunate turn of events, said that it was greedy big business that was the source of the problem. No question that many mortgage companies and banks made hay in lead up to the financial disaster especially since the were allowed to pass off the many destined-to-fail mortgages to someone else. But I would first look to Congress, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, who assured the American Public early on that there was nothing to be concerned about. I would look to Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac who continued to feed the frenzy and encourage the approval of loans that would never have been approved under previous standards. Of course, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd also said there was nothing wrong with these two institutions. Franklin Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae, walked away from the mess with over 90 million dollars. Read āReckless Endangermentā for a full accounting. Franklin Raines pumped Congressional members with parties, donations, special personal mortgages, etc. and in return Congress turned a blind eye to what was happening. This was a sordid affair with mortgage companies and banks benefiting from it all but it started, and could have only started, with the acquiescence of those in government who were also benefiting. And today some of those same congressional people are part of the group that are spending this country into oblivion. The President is already making noises about a third stimulus. As if the other two worked at all.
But in the end the source of all these problems is the same as it has been for many, many years; the American people. Abraham Lincoln said it best, āThe American people generally get what they deserveā. Well, we have a large portion of our populace in this country that does not take the time to read and think about events that affect this country and their lives. We vote for personalities, for āhope and changeā while not knowing what that meant or for the person who is going to give us the most benefits. More and more of us think that the government should provide (pay for) a long list of things we are entitled to have because we are citizens. There is not a thought or concern that the government must first take the money to provide (pay for) from us first. After the government takes out their (big) share to waste they hand out some benefits.
An interesting survey of those on unemployment was taken recently. They found that 1/3 of all people receiving unemployment checks found a job immediately after their benefits ran out. We have had a problem hiring for the last year and wondered why. We have heard it first hand that people will apply but only to have a name to give to the unemployment office to verify they are looking for a job. The younger kids call this āfun moneyā. They hang out, travel or whatever until their unemployment runs out. The government is training a whole generation that is is not necessary to work, that government will take care of them. When enough people have taken the kool aid they will wake up one day and realize that the government controls their very existence. Our forefathers blessed us with a great gift in the form of the United States of America. They sacrificed and they died for love of country and their descendants. The knew the critical importance of personal freedom and they were willingly to give their lives for it. Some of the original framers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were wealthy men who willingly risked (and lost) everything they had to achieve the goal of personal freedom for us. Now we are willingly giving up what they fought so hard to achieve and gave to us. On the day that the Constitution of the United States was finalized (for lack of a better word) Benjamin Franklin walked out of the building and was asked by a woman, āWell, what do we haveā? Benjamin Franklin said, āA Republic if you can keep itā. By the looks of things today we are not doing a very good job of trying to keep it. Someone once said, āall that is required for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothingā. Both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln said that the greatest threat to this country will come from within. Years ago I thought I knew exactly what they meant but I did not. Today I understand that it is not just a runaway Congress/government/president whichever the case may be, but it also has to be us. We have the power to reverse this deadly tailspin but we stand and watch it happen while telling ourselves we have other important things to do. They say freedom is not free and part of that statement means that each of us has a responsibility to participate in the process of government by being knowledgeable about issues, candidates and politicians and then voting our convictions based on our own research.
How do we think our employees would perform if we, as managers/owners, never made an effort to monitor their proficiency, integrity, honesty and effort? Would the answer be that they would soon put us out of business? If that is the answer then what better can we expect of the politicians we vote into office if we do not monitor their progress and cause an adjustment or remove them if they do not perform? If government does not work as we need it to then we can forget about our businesses.
At this point it is still within our power to change the direction of this country; its up to us. It has been demonstrated time and again that an unleashed, free American population can accomplish tremendous things when required. We were nowhere ready to or capable of fighting the second World War Two. Pearl Harbor changed all that. Remember the Japanese Admiral who said when asked what he thought after the successful Pearl Harbor attack, āI fear that we have awakened the great American tigerā. And he was right was he not?
A real friend would do it!
